Thursday, February 14, 2013

"8" at River City Repertory

"8" premiered in L.A. with a star-studded cast that included supporters of marriage equality like Brad Pitt and George Clooney. The Shreveport performance will feature local celebrities.On February 17th at 7:30 pm at the Karpeles Museum, River City Repertory Theatre will do a 1-night only performance of "8", the play based on the Prop 8 trial.

Tickets can be purchased by calling 318-868-5888 daily from 11-4. All seats are $30. Profits go to the American Foundation for Equal Rights.

AFER is the nonprofit that spearheaded the court challenge to Prop 8, which took away the right of same-sex couples to marry in California. This court challenge drew lots of attention because our side (proponents of marriage equality) had as its legal representation the dream team of liberal icon David Boies and conservative icon Ted Olson, who were on opposing sides in the landmark Bush v. Gore which decided the 2000 election. Boies and Olson were successful and Prop 8 was overturned. This court decision has been appealed all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court which has agreed to hear the appeal.

Why "8"

Uncover the truth about marriage for gay and lesbian Americans. "8"-a new play by Academy-award winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (Milk, J. Edgar)-demystifies the debate around marriage equality by chronicling the landmark trial of Perry v. Schwarzenegger (now Hollingsworth v. Perry). Learn about the historical context of marriage from expert testimony. See the human cost of discrimination. Uncover the arguments used to justify bans on marriage for gay and lesbian couples. Using the actual court transcripts from the landmark federal trial of California's Prop. 8 and first-hand interviews, "8" shows both sides of the debate in a moving 90-minute play.

See video from the original play at AFER's web site: http://www.8theplay.com/ and at River City Repertory Theatre's web site: http://www.rivercityrep.org